UGA, Georgia Mascots

 UGA VII is led onto the field for his first game
Georgia vs. Georgia Southern, Aug. 30, 2008

The 2009 season marks the 53rd anniversary of the Uga legacy of mascots at the University of Georgia.

Uga VII made his debut at the Georgia vs. Georgia Southern game on Saturday, August 30, 2008.  "Loran's Best" died unexpectedly during his second year on November 20, 2009.  Uga VII total a 16-7 mark during his short stint as the most recognizeable mascott in college sports.

In 2007, Uga VI became the winningest mascot in school history and currently owns a record of 87-27. The mark surpassed Uga IV who ended his career with a record of 77-24-4. A changing of the guard occurred in 1999 when Uga V officially retired during pregame ceremonies at the Georgia-South Carolina game and handed the mascot duties over to his son, Uga VI.

Uga VI, who was only one year old at the time of his coronation, is the biggest of all the mascots weighing in at 65 pounds — more than 20 pounds heavier than his father — and like his forefathers is a solid white English bulldog. His registered name is "Uga V's Whatchagot Loran?" But he has two things to his credit that his famous father, Uga V, never experienced — two SEC championships (2002 and 2005).

During his tenure as the Georgia mascot, Uga VI has seen the Bulldogs win a record 13 games en route to their first SEC Championship (2002) in the last two decades and snap a nine-game losing streak to Tennessee, including their first victory in Knoxville since 1980. He also saw Georgia's first win against rival Florida in the last eight years and was roaming the sidelines in Sanford Stadium in November for the team's sixth straight victory against Georgia Tech. Georgia has been to a bowl game each of Uga VI's eight seasons as mascot, including six victories in that span.

While his father, Uga V, catapulted the mascot into the national spotlight, Uga VI has been featured in Sports Illustrated, a 2001 Emmy-winning episode of Turner South's Liars and Legends, has been a part of a college football segment on NBC Nightly News and was the special guest at a reception for the Georgia Congressmen in Washington D.C. in 2002. In Georgia's final home game of the 2003 season against Kentucky, Uga VI wore a black jersey instead of his traditional red jersey in honor of Vince Dooley's last game in Sanford Stadium as Director of Athletics.

In the last 100 years of intercollegiate football, Georgia’s Uga has established himself as the nation’s most well-known mascot. The line of pure white English bulldogs which epitomizes everything Georgia has been owned by the Frank W. “Sonny” Seiler family of Savannah, Ga., since Uga I first graced the campus in 1956.

Through the years, Uga has been defined by his spiked collar, a symbol of the position which he holds. He was given his name, an abbreviation for the university, by William Young of Columbus, a law school classmate of Seiler. Each of the Uga mascots is awarded a varsity letter in the form of a plaque, identical to those presented to all Bulldog athletes who letter in their respective sports.

As determined and published by the Pittsburgh Press, the University of Georgia is the only major college that actually buries its mascots within the confines of the stadium. Ugas I, II, III, IV and V are buried in marble vaults near the main gate in the embankment of the South stands. Epitaphs to the dogs are inscribed in bronze, and before each home game, flowers are placed on their graves. The memorial plot attracts hundreds of fans and visitors each year.

For the past 20 years, Uga’s jerseys have been custom-made at the beginning of each season from the same material used for the players’ jerseys. Old jerseys are destroyed.

Uga’s on-field home is a permanent air-conditioned doghouse located next to the cheerleaders' platform, providing comfort in the heat of August and September. The custom-made doghouse is a gift from the Bahamian Bulldog Club of Nassau, Bahamas, through the courtesy of Fred Hazlewood.

From coast to coast and from generation to generation, the Uga heritage lives as one of America's proudest, and most unique, mascot traditions.

Uga Through the Years...
Mascot	Years	Record	Accomplishments
Uga I	1956-66 (through 10/14)	53-48-6	-Won SEC (1959) -Bowls (2)
Uga II	1966-71	42-16-3	-Won SEC (1966 and 1968) -Bowls (5)
Uga III	1972-80	71-32-2	-Won SEC (1976 and 1980) -Won NCAA (1980) -Bowls (6)
Uga IV	1981-1989	77-27-4	-Won SEC (1981 and 1982) -Bowls (9)
Uga V	1990-99 (through 9/4)	65-39-1	-Named Best Mascot In the Country by Sports Illustrated - Bowls (5)
Uga VI	1999-2008	54-18	-2002 SEC Champs -now in his eighth season -Bowls (6)
Uga VII	2008 - 2009	16-7	-1-0 in Bowl Games

Special Appearances

Bowl Games (‘season)
I Orange ‘59, Sun ‘64
II Cotton ‘66, Liberty ‘67, Sugar ‘68, Sun ‘69, Gator ‘71
III Peach ‘73, Tangerine ‘74, Cotton ‘75, Sugar ‘76, Bluebonnet ‘78, Sugar ‘80
IV Sugar ‘81, Sugar ‘82, Cotton ‘83, Citrus ‘84, Sun ‘85, Hall of Fame ‘86, Liberty ‘87, Gator ‘88, Peach ‘89
V Independence ‘91, Florida Citrus ‘92, Peach ‘95, Outback ‘97, Peach ‘98
VI Outback ‘99, Music City Bowl ‘01, Sugar ‘03, Capital One ‘04, Outback ‘05, Sugar '06, Chick-Fil-A '06
VII Capital One '08

Other Sporting Events & Banquets
Men’s Basketball Final Four, Albuquerque, N.M, 1983 (IV)
Men’s Basketball SEC Championships, 1990 (IV)
Heisman Trophy Banquet, Dec. 9, 1982 (IV)
Coronation of NCAA Men’s Tennis Champions, 1999 (V)

Miscellaneous
Sports Illustrated Cover, April 28, 1997 (V)
Sports Illustrated (IV, V, VI)
ESPN’s College Gameday
Time (IV)
Newsweek (IV)
Football News (IV)
SportMagazine (IV)
The Animal’s Who’s Who (III)
Featured on the Animal Planet (VI)
Dog Fancy Magazine (VI)
1997 movie, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” (V)
1976 movie, “Gator,” (III)
2001 Emmy-winning episode of Tunner South’s Liar’s and Legends
Honorary Chairman, American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, 1984 (IV)
Grand Marshal, UGA Homecoming Parade, 1999 (V)
Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame (I, II, III)
St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Savannah (IV, VI)
Blessing of the Fleet, Darien, Ga. (IV)
Onion Festival Parade, Glennville, Ga. (IV)
Cotton Bowl Parade, 1984 (IV)
Peach Bowl Parade, 1973 (III)
Orange Bowl Parade, 1959 (I)
Grand Opening of UGA National AlumniCenter (VI)
Alumni, Bulldog Club and Touchdown Club Meetings
Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia Senate Chamber
Georgia Governor’s Office
Reception for Georgia Congressmen in Washington D.C. 2002 (VI)

Charitable Functions
March of Dimes, Easter Seals, Heart Fund, Humane Society, Boy’s Clubs

University of Georgia Athletics

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